The Difficult Case
As you read my Perspectives posts in this blog, you’ll notice I like to draw parallels between the world around us and clinical practice. More specifically, how systems and methods often fail to optimize for what is best for the individual citizen. The individual patient.
Let’s be honest. No government or politician serves all its citizens. And no clinician gets all their patients better. As clinicians, we approach each case with deeply entrenched biases and leverage systems and methods we’ve honed mostly through positive feedback.
Get your patient better? You are more likely to use that method next time.
Fail to make a difference? Must be a difficult case. One that doesn’t fit your system.
Here is where it gets tricky. What’s your action? And what will the critics think? Do you:
Double-down in your methods? Ignore the incongruence. Serve the masses.
Change your system? Invest the time and resources to look outside the box.
Refer to someone with a different approach? Do the difficult thing. Admit you don’t know.
I don’t know the answer. But, I have a feeling the appropriate response is different for each case.
My advice? A 4th option.
Zoom out.
Partner with your patient. Bring them in for a ‘town-hall’, a focus group. Discover who they are, why they are here, and what they need. Avoid standing at the pulpit and telling them what they want. Don’t direct or prescribe. Guide them. And, when necessary, go to battle for them.
Photo by Gaël Gaborel - OrbisTerrae on Unsplash
